Who Wants to live Forever?
by Masked Reflection
Summary: Link cursed silently under his breath as he leapt over another low wall and landed solidly on the cobblestones on the other side. Sometimes it really sucked to be the immortal guardian of the legendary Ocarina of Time. ZeldaHP crossover
1. Wizards? Convenient

_Random idea…again. It's not the typical HP/Zelda crossover, I guarantee you. Just a warning, Link might be considered OOC. But in my story he's immortal and has lived a long, long time. That can change a person. He also has something very important to protect so he needs to be…well…I suppose you could say ruthless, but I'm not sure that's the right word…_

**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own Legend of Zelda nor Harry Potter._

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Title: Who Wants to live Forever?

Chapter: 1

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Link cursed silently under his breath as he leapt over another low wall and landed solidly on the cobblestones on the other side. This group was really persistent. He have been amused by it if they hadn't been chasing him all across the globe for the last decade and a half. Sometimes it really sucked to be the immortal guardian of the legendary Ocarina of Time. It meant that every cultist or greedy tycoon that did some research (…okay, a lot of research) and had some intelligence (another lie. They have to be pretty swift on their mental feet to make quite a few of the connections) was trying to chase him down for the artifact that would 'make their dreams come true'.

A sudden whistle up ahead caught Link's attention. A train station. The blond allowed himself a smile of satisfaction. He could use that to escape, at least for a while. He reached up and tugged on his bandanna to ensure it covered his pointy ears –a birth defect, if anyone asked- and made a beeline for the most crowded part of the station. Now, where would he find a bathroom? Link scanned the packed platforms never missing a beat. Dodge here, duck around a pillar there… Ah! There was a station employee!

"Excuse me! Ma'am?" The older lady looked up just as Link skidded to a stop in front of her, panting slightly. "Could you tell me where the restrooms are?"

The woman glanced at Link, quickly taking in his worn jeans, combat boots, green shirt, faded black vest, silver earrings, the blue bandanna on his head and the beat-up backpack slung carelessly across one shoulder. She narrowed her eyes and Link mentally groaned. Why did this always happen? At least she hadn't sniffed at his pony-tail. Thank the goddesses that long hair was back in style.

"Why do you wish to know that?" The attendant questioned in a slightly frosty tone, having obviously labeled him as a trouble-making-teenager-from-a-bad-family, just like a lot of the 'older' people he spoke to.

"Well, I need to use it, you know?" This was taking too much time. If he couldn't find an empty bathroom soon his plan will be a complete washout and he'll have to find some other way to evade the guys after him. When the lady didn't look like she was going to be very forth coming Link rolled his mental eyes. "I_ really_ need to use it." He said emphasizing the point by doing a shortened version of the pee-pee dance.

The woman eyed him suspiciously but after a second gave a sigh of annoyance. "Go straight past Platform 10 and take a left. It is next to the emergency exit." She said, pointing in the general direction of said restroom.

"Thanks!" Link called over his shoulder, already dodging through the crowd in the indicated direction. He probably ticked that lady off, but he needed to get away from here. Now.

"Eight…Nine…Ten!" Link quickly counted off the platform numbers and swerved towards his intended target.

"Hey! Watch it!" A red-haired boy shouted after him as he nearly bowled over a group of kids standing between him and Platform 10's bathroom. Link called out a hurried 'Sorry!' and ducked onto the platform. Within seconds he was in the relative privacy of the station's restroom. Link allowed himself a sigh of relief and quickly scanned the interior. Hmm…obviously they don't clean this place much, Link thought as he wrinkled his nose. No matter. He was more concerned about the man washing his hands and the closed stall that indicted someone was in there. He needs the place empty for this to work.

"Hey," he said trying to catch the man in the stalls attention. The guy in front of the sink glanced at him then turned back to his task. This wasn't going to work. Link though for a second then shrugged. The lady had already labeled him as a trouble-maker. It would be a shame to disappoint her. Link took a deep breath then released it as a hiss. Now the man at the sink was looking at him in worry. The blond gave a dark chuckle. He'd gotten fairly good at pretending to be evil over the last few centuries. Sometimes it scared the more cowardly humans away.

"I've got a bomb. And I'm going to use it right here, where it will take out two trains, a couple hundred people and the only exit near the place." …okay, so he wasn't as good at this as real terrorists, but he needed these guys out and this was the only thing he could think of. "Now if you'll be so kind…" Link trailed off while gently setting his bag on the ground and began rummaging through it

The guy that had been washing his hands was already out the door and after a few seconds of frantically fiddling with the stall lock, the other was out too, stumbling over his trousers on the way. Link quickly ducked into the stall closest to the door and pulled out the Ocarina of Time. He only had a minute at most before security would be all over this place. Unfortunately time-travel was no longer an option for him. The goddesses had sealed _that_ ability centuries ago, about the time that bastard, Locke, had managed to get his hands on the ocarina. All that the Song of Time would do now was change his age, which was exactly what he was going to do.

Twenty seconds later a young boy about ten years of age cautiously slunk out of the bathroom. Good. The two guys he had scared off had gone straight to security and not run out screaming and caused a mass panic like he had thought they would. This made everything easier.

Link immediately picked out the nearest security guard. Not surprising since he was headed to the bathroom where Link had made his bomb threat. The blond boy quickly moved to intercept.

"Mister!" Link said in a scared, frantic little-kid voice. "My mommy is-!"

"Not now, kid!" The guard snapped. "Go talk to one of the attendants on a different platform!"

"O-okay…" Link whispered. "Sorry…"

The guard shot Link an apologetic glance. "Sorry, kid, I'm busy. Just get off this platform, okay?" Link nodded swiftly and took off, easily disappearing into the crowd. That guy was no help. He'd been hoping for an escort out of the station. Looks like he was going to have to take the obvious way out. Now, which train was leaving soon?

The blond scanned the nearest platforms and frowned. It looked like everything was going to be put on hold because of the 'security threat'. Not good. Link looked around again and tensed in surprise when he saw short black hair and red-tinted sunglasses. Definitely not good. He didn't think they would be this fast! He needed to find an attendant. Now.

There! On Platform 9! Link walked quickly towards the worried looking man standing near the barrier between platforms and tugged on the hem of his uniform jacket. "Mister?"

The man looked down at Link then around for his parents. "Yes?" The attendant asked.

"My mommy is on there," Link said as he pointed to the train on Platform 9, "and daddy is gone. How do I get to mommy?"

The man looked startled "Your parents left you?"

"No," Link continued to stare at the train. A woman was watching them. "Daddy's gone! He just disappeared! I want mommy!" Link cried as he began bouncing around and frantically waving his arms. The woman looked worried now. "See look! It's mommy!"

The man followed Link's waving hand and locked eyes with the woman. She hesitantly waved when she noticed all the attention on her. The attendant looked back at Link. "Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

The man sighed "Alright, kid. I'll get you to your mommy. Let's g-!"

The man was cut off by a couple dozen security guards forcing their way past and knocking the two of them over and into the barrier between platforms. Link let out a low whine and rubbed his back. Jeez, if he had known that there would be such a big fuss over a simple threat he would have just knocked the two in the bathroom out.

"Hey! What are you doing here!" A loud booming voice called out. Link looked up at a tall man who seemed to be wearing a set of black robes. He hadn't seen clothes like that in a _long_ time. Maybe the man was a part of one of those renaissance groups? He noticed that he man wasn't looking at him though. He was staring a hole through the station attendant. Link looked over at him, wondering what he was going to do only to notice that the man wasn't even paying attention to the strange guy. Instead he was staring at a bright red train. A train that Link _did not_ remember seeing during his run through the station. He could tell that it was getting ready to leave and the last passengers were boarding.

"You're a muggle! How did you get here?"

Link quickly jumped to his feet as the stunned attendant babbled out what sounded like a counter question. He needed out of here and that train was probably the only one in this entire station that was leaving. He was going to get on that train. Both the attendant and the strange man were distracting each other so neither noticed when the blond boy grabbed his fallen bag and slipped away.

Link encountered no resistance when he boarded the train, much to his relief, and easily found an empty compartment near the front…or rather, a nearly empty compartment. The other occupant was a dark-haired young boy who looked about his current age. The boy smiled when Link dropped down onto the seat in front of him and set his bag down on the ground.

"Hi," Link said with an easy smile "I'm Link, who are you?"

"I'm Jason. It's nice to meet you, Link." Jason said as he gave a small wave. "Is this your first year going to Hogwarts too?"

"Uh…yeah. I just heard about it this summer and thought it would be cool to go." Link lied. Maybe this 'Hogwarts' was a resort?

Jason's face broke out into a full-fledged grin. "Cool! Me too! My parents were so surprised! You should have seen their faces when they found out I was a wizard!"

"Wizard?" Link said in a joking tone. Hopefully that both disguised his confusion and would get the boy to elaborate without getting suspicious.

"Well, yeah," Jason said, rolling his eyes, "It_ is_ Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and I'm certainly not a girl, so that means I'm a wizard!"

"School? Sounds interesting." Link murmured. This could be the perfect escape. Those guys that were chasing him surely would continue to poke around London for a while so that meant he could plan out his next move in relative peace. And perhaps he could catch a bit of a break at this school.

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_Well, that was interesting. I had a bit of trouble getting Link to get on the right train, but aside from that it all went okay. Though the bomb bit was…unexpected._

_Anyways, I have no idea where this is going so I guess I'm in the same spot all of you are. Hopefully that means you will help me out with this thing by giving me advice. I have bits of the next chapter planned out but after that…--shrugs--_

_Constructive criticism is welcomed. _


	2. Acquiring 'Supplies'

_Yo! It's me again! This is the second installment of 'Who Wants to Live Forever?'! I'm so excited! …okay, that was a lie, but I am happy that I have actually written this chapter. There is a reason that I normally write one-shots._

_I'd also like to thank all my lovely reviewers. I'm glad that you all think that this story has potential!_

_A special thanks goes out to Super Davis. I love you! I believe that you are the first person to ever criticize my writing! Ever! Now I have something to work on! …I'm probably the only person in the world that would get excited over that, huh? _

_You're right about the age thing. Sorry 'bout that. Link was 17 at the beginning and he is around 10 now. I wanted to keep the ages familiar in the beginning. As for bring immature for his age…I figured that it would get boring if I had him act like Kratos (A Tales of Symphonia character that is 4000+ years old) all the time, besides it would look kinda suspicious to the wizards if some kid was as mature as Link probably should be._

_I'm sure you're tired of me babbling, so on with the fic! _

**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own Legend of Zelda nor Harry Potter. If I did Harry wouldn't annoy me so much._

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Title: Who Wants to Live Forever?

Chapter 2

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Link eyed the boy sitting across from him. If he was going to hide out in this school then it would be best for him to pretend that he was a student. That meant he needed information and the best source of it would be from the students who were actually supposed to be attending. At the moment that meant Jason.

"So," Link started, a bit unsure of how to go about this. "Your parents were surprised that you are a wizard?"

Jason grinned "Yup! There has never been a wizard in my family! When I first got the acceptance letter they thought it was a joke until one of the professors came and took us to Diagon Ally to get my supplies! It was wicked awesome!"

"Ah." Link nodded in agreement. So he needed an acceptance letter and supplies. And apparently the professors vaguely knew what the incoming students looked like. It would be difficult for him to fake this. He'd ask just a few more questions so he could find out exactly how much he would stand out if he showed up without these things. "Did you have any trouble getting your supplies? I couldn't figure some of the stuff out."

Jason nodded "Yeah, me too. I can understand the wands 'cause that's what you do the magic with, but some of the rest… Like the robes! I feel like I'm wearing a dress! And some of the other things too! Like the cauldron and the weird potions supplies and the pointed hat. It felt like I was getting ready for Halloween."

Link nodded absentmindedly and motioned for the boy to continue. Apparently he would standout very much without these 'supplies'. He would need to obtain them somehow along with an acceptance letter…but now that he was on the train it would be impossible to get them. Unless… Link reached into one on his vest pockets and withdrew a simple ring. This would help.

He looked over at the dark-haired boy as he happily chatted away about broomsticks and owls. Link grimaced. Hopefully those weren't supplies as well. Maybe he could say his owl had been hit by a bus or something… The blond shook his head. It didn't matter. He needed to get just enough to blend in and the only way he could do that at this point was to steal it from the other students.

The only problem that Link could see with this was that would not solve his entire problem. He needed an acceptance letter and he needed one of the students to drop out before they ever saw the school. Preferably a blond male just about his height. Unfortunately, Jason did not fit this description. Link was sure that the professors might notice if the brunet suddenly turned blond and lost a few inches of height. Besides, Link might need someone to back up his story as well as confirm that he was indeed a 'student' at this Hogwarts school.

Now, how will he do all this without attracting suspicion? It would be best to get it over with while still on the train, then it would be easier to ditch the guy he was going to target. But how…?

Link grinned and abruptly hopped up from his seat and grabbed his bag, startling the poor boy he was sitting with. "Hey, it's been a while since we got on the train, hasn't it?" Jason hesitantly nodded. "Well, nobody else has come to sit with us so I think that we should go find some other first years! Ya know, so we will know more people at school?"

Jason cocked his head thoughtfully. It was obvious that he didn't really want to wander around a train full of strangers, but at the same time he didn't want to lose track of the only person that he had spoken to and was beginning to like. "O…kay." He hesitantly agreed.

Link's grin widened. The ring was quickly slipped onto one of his fingers just before he grabbed Jason's hand. "Well, let's go!"

In five seconds flat the boys were out the door and pushing open the door to another compartment…which was full of people who definitely weren't first years. "Sorry! We thought that more first years would be in here! Do you know where they would be?"

A red-haired teen that looked vaguely familiar smiled at them. "I would check around the back of the train. That is usually where most of the younger kids sit." The teen looked closer at Link and raised an eyebrow. "Why are you wearing a bandanna?"

"'Cause it's cool! Thanks! Bye!" Link called as he dragged the startled Jason out behind him and slammed the compartment door shut. The end of the train, huh? The blond glanced down the long corridor. This might take a while. "Where exactly is Hogwarts?" Link asked as he began walking.

Jason took a steadying breath and followed after the blond. "I'm not sure. I think it's still an hour or so away though. This part of Britain is too populated by normal people for the wizards to be able to hide an entire boarding school."

Link hummed in agreement. Good, the blond thought as he absently fiddled with the ring on his finger. This meant he had more time to track someone down and steal their stuff.

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_30 minutes later:_

"Argh! Why can't we find any first years!" Link cried in frustration. "All the people back here are old!"

Jason giggled at the blond and reached for yet another compartment door. "It's not that bad, Link. At least lots of people will recognize us when school starts. That's what you were hoping for, right?"

Link sighed "…Not exactly…"

"Can we help you?" Link and Jason turned their attention back to the now opened compartment. The three people within were definitely not first years…again. Though the red-head looked vaguely familiar…

"Yes," Link jumped in before Jason could say anything. "Do you know where any other first years are? We've looked everywhere but can't find any! It's like they are hiding from us!"

The three in the compartment grinned and exchanged amused glances. "Yes I believe we do. There are some in the compartment directly across from us."

"Yes!" Link jumped eagerly out of the threesome's compartment and launched himself at the indicated door.

"Wow. He's…enthusiastic."

Jason smiled nervously at being faced with three older strangers all alone. "Uh…well…I'll be going now." He quickly shut the door and slipped into the first year compartment behind his blue-eyed companion.

There were seven kids crammed into this compartment, not including the recent additions of Link and Jason. Link carefully scanned them then settled his eyes on one of the boys. The kid looked about his size and height. True, the kid's hair was a bit more brown then blond, but he would have to do. Link didn't have much more time. According to the lady that had been selling food, the train would reach Hogwarts in about twenty minutes and they had to change into their robes in ten.

"Hey guys!" Link said with a grin as he walked over to the girl on his target's right and plopped down in her lap. "I'm Link!"

After a few seconds of stunned silence the group burst out laughing and began introductions. Link only paid attention to his target.

"I'm Andrew, nice to meet you guys."

Link shot the boy a fake surprised look. "Really? That's my name too!"

"Huh?" Everybody in the compartment was now paying attention to their conversation. Link silently cursed himself. Now everybody would recognize this boy. He would have to use some magic to modify this experience in everyone's minds. Link hated using mass memory modification spells.

"Well, my real name is Andrew. My dad named me so my mom didn't get to call me 'Rinku' like she wanted to. …Not that it really stops her… Anyways, rinku means link in…I think it's Japanese, so when my friends found out what it meant they began calling me 'Link' as a joke and it kinda stuck." Link shrugged.

"Wow…that's kinda weird. I like it!" One of the girls grinned.

"Yup!" Link smiled. They believed him!

"You lot might want to begin changing into your robes now." The group looked towards the still open compartment door and saw the food-lady poking her head in.

"Alright." The lady nodded and ducked out. Link looked around at the compartment. "Five girls vs four boys… I think that you two," he pointed to Andrew and the other first year boy. "Should come with me and Jason to our compartment. That way nobody has to wait in the corridor."

"Okay." The girl that was acting as Link's chair gently shoved him off and the four boys stumbled out of the girl's compartment, after grabbing their uniforms, and headed in the direction of Link and Jason's compartment. Link thoughtfully shifted his bag as they walked past an open compartment door. This would be his best opportunity. The blond closed his eyes and focused on his magic. A bright flash of light enveloped the train as Link set off one of his few remaining deku nuts with a brief flare of fire mana, enhancing it's normal properties.

"What the-!"

Scrams and shout filled the air as the students panicked; trying to figure out what was going on. Link acted immediately. He pretended to lose his footing and shoved Jason and the unknown boy into the open compartment and tackled Andrew.

"Sorry." Link whispered as he once again focused on the pool of magic deep within him. He quickly hummed the Goron's Lullaby, pouring as much magic into his voice as possible and gently pressed down on the boy's carotid artery to encourage a blackout. Seconds later Andrew was unconscious. Link pulled the First Gen Ring off his finger and slipped it onto one of the boy's. He quickly wove some of his mana through the red 'Z' that was the rings only decoration and concentrated. Within moments Andrew glowed with a blue light and shrunk before transforming into a small, brown cat.

Link could hear the two he knocked down regaining their feet as he carefully shoved cat-Andrew into his bag along with the robe the boy had been carrying. The blond stumbled to his feet just as Jason tripped out of the compartment, worry evident on his face. Before he could open his mouth students poured out into the corridor and the train was filled with babbling and speculations.

Link locked eyes with Jason and jerked his head towards their compartment. Jason frowned and nodded. Both boys pushed through the thick crowd, making a bee line for their only safe haven from the madness. After what seemed like forever the two new wizards opened their door and spilled into the room.

"Did you see the other two?" Jason panted.

Link shook his head and looked out the window at the darkening scenery. "We should get changed."

Jason nodded and the two silently switched outfits, Link being careful not to jar the sleeping cat hidden in his bag as well as keep it hidden from Jason. He'd have to figure out what to do with Andrew later.

"Hey, Link…" Jason trailed off.

"Yes?" Link asked not letting any of his uncertainly show.

"That light…it was magic, right?"

"Umm…maybe."

"One of the groups that we talked to said something about a test, right?"

"I think so."

"Do you think that maybe…we need to perform magic to pass this test and be official students?"

"I don't know. Probably not. I mean, none of the other first years knew any magic, right? If they did they would have mentioned it I think."

"Maybe…"

The two boys sat in silence for the rest of the train ride. Both were worried about the upcoming night, but for entirely different reasons.

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_Damn. I thought that I was going to get through the sorting with this chapter. I guess I ramble too much. And damn it, Link! You were supposed to knock off Jason, not some random first year! Jeez…so troublesome…If that last part with the cat-transformation thing confused you, don't worry. I have no clue as well._

_  
And yes, I know there are lots of holes. Lets just pretend that while Link and Jason were wamdering around they found out that you do not need to keep your acceptance letter and your baggage is magically transported up to your dorm after your are sorted. All fixed.  
_

_Goron's Lullaby: A song in Majora's Mask that puts people to sleep._

_First Gen Ring: 'Description - Become something.' I obviously took some liberties here._

_And the last thing is the red-heads. They were two separate people who happen to be brothers. They also look like the guy who Link almost mowed over in the first chapter. And no, they are not the twins. Obviously Weasleys though…_

_Anyways, constructive criticism is welcomed._


	3. The Sorting

_It's a miracle! I actually got the third chapter done!_

**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own Zelda or Harry Potter_

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Title: Who Wants to Live Forever?

Chapter: 3

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Link frowned as he caught sight of the horses hitched up to the carriages, disapproval fairly radiating from his small form. He could tell that they were not normal horses, the wings made sure of that, but there were too many similarities for him to classify them as a completely different creature. Maybe they were some kind of magical horse…

Whatever they were that still didn't justify their treatment! He hadn't touched a horse in the last few decades but fond memories of Epona and some of the others that he had owned made him seethe over their condition. They were little more then fur and bones! Literally!

Link paused. It shouldn't be possible for a horse that emaciated to even be on its feet-

One of the horses gave a little half-step dance.

-and they _definitely_ shouldn't be acting so healthy. Maybe they had a spell cast on them? Or maybe they were more magical then he first supposed. Either way some of the students were shooting him strange looks for staring too long.

A tug on his arm brought Jason to Link's attention. "Come on, Link! We're supposed to go this way!" Apparently the dark-haired boy had been trying to get his attention for a while…or maybe he was just growing more comfortable around the blond.

Link nodded at Jason and allowed himself to be led to a crowd of kids standing in a wide circle around a tall man. As the duo got closer Link realized just how big this guy really was. He would have towered over even Link's adult form! And once this was realized, Link was not surprised by the wide berth the rest of the kids were giving him.

The man looked over at the two approaching boys and gave them what Link supposed was supposed to be a friendly grin. You couldn't really tell _what_ it was with all that hair.

"Yer firs' years, righ'?"

Both boys nodded, too awed by the man's height to answer with words. The giant smiled and began to make a 'follow me' gesture before pausing as his eyes landed on Link, or rather, Link's head.

"Wha's that on yer head?"

Link felt all of his speech impairing awe vanish at this statement. This was beginning to get old. Link forced a smile on his face and politely explained.

"It's a bandanna! And it's cool!"

The man eyed him. "Righ'"

Link sighed. At least his child form didn't have its ears pierced.

The huge man glanced around the station once more before herding the group of kids off towards a lake. Once they were all standing on the shore next to a fleet of small rowboats the man turned to address his charges.

"I'm Hagrid, Groundskeeper of Hogwarts. An' I'm also one of yer professors. I teach Care for Magical Creatures," He announced proudly. "We're takin' the scenic route ta the school." He blatantly ignored the annoyed grumbles of the new students as he gestured to the rowboats and told them to hop in, only four per boat.

Link and Jason glanced at each other and headed off towards one of the boats. Not long after they had settled into the old wooden boat they were joined by two more kids, both of whom looked fairly confident about this whole thing.

The four stared at each other for a few minutes before the giant man yelled 'Onward!' and the boats suddenly lurched off. Jason yelped in surprise and clutched onto the side of the boat while Link simply dug his fingers into the bench they were seated on in surprise. The other two smiled knowingly at each other before turning back to the surprised duo.

"You came from muggle families, didn't you?"

Jason nodded and Link cocked his head to the side. "Yes. I take it you're not?"

"No. We're both from wizarding families. Introducing the first years is always a big show at Hogwarts…at least that's what my sister says."

"Show?"

"Yeah. They have to separate us from the rest of the students in order to sort us. At first the sorting was a private affair but somewhere along the line one of the Headmasters decided to make it the Welcoming Evening's entertainment. Apparently he found it amusing to scare a bunch of little kids in front of the entire school."

"R-really?" Jason asked shakily. This conversation wasn't doing much for his nerves. "What happens during the sorting?"

One of the newcomers smiled reassuringly at the dark-haired boy. "Don't worry, it's nothing spectacular. You just stand up in front of the teachers and wait for your name to be called. After that's done you go and sit on a stool in front of everybody and wear a silly looking hat. Then, after the hat tells you what house you got into, you go sit at your house table and wait for the feast."

Link raised an eyebrow "A silly looking hat tells you what house you get into?"

"My sister's words."

"Hmmm…"

A few seconds later surprised gasps surrounded the small group's boat as all the other students strained to get a closer look at something they couldn't see. Link looked questioningly at his two informants but saw that they were trying to see beyond him and a distracted Jason.

"Woah…" Jason said in awe as he stared at something in front of the small watercraft. Link rolled his eyes and gave in to curiosity, turning on the bench so that he was facing forwards…and was suddenly glad he did.

An immense castle was perched above them, the reflections of the water dancing across its stone walls only enhancing the feeling of awe it inspired. Link couldn't help but compare it to Hyrule Castle and was surprised that it didn't come up lacking. If anything this castle was even more beautiful then the one that he remembered calling home a long, long time ago. Perhaps it was because Hogwarts seemed at peace like Hyrule never was. Maybe it's because of the lack of people and soldiers running about or the fact that the entire castle was surrounded with nature. Or maybe it was because he no longer considered Hyrule Castle his home and could now be more objective in his judgments. For some reason this made Link's heart ache a little.

The blond shook his head quickly in an attempt to shake off depressing thoughts and noticed that the boats were almost to the other side of the lake. He leaned over and tugged on the back of Jason's robes.

"Brace yourself, we're almost there."

Jason looked over at Link in confusion then, for the first time, seemed to notice how far out of the boat he was leaning. Grinning sheepishly he eased himself back down on the bench just in time to avoid being thrown into the shallows as the boat came to an abrupt halt.

One of the other students wasn't so lucky. The sudden stop tossed the boy out of his boat and straight into the lake where he splashed around for a while before he realized that the water only reached his knees. The boy looked up excitedly at the other students, who were staring at him, and shouted,

"This is so cool!"

"All righ'" Hagrid called as he stepped out of his larger boat and placed his huge jacket around the boy's shoulders. "Follow me ta the castle."

After the entire group disembarked, and Hagrid finally managed to fish the drowning kid out of the lake, they trooped up a wide fight of stone stairs, across an empty field, and up some more stairs into a wide entrance hall. Waiting for them was a stern looking female professor. After the handoff Hagrid turned and walked into what Link assumed was the dining hall. The professor began her introduction and was explaining what was going to happen once the first years were introduced. Link tuned out the entire speech in favor of wondering what his last name was supposed to be. Andrew never did say what it was. Link frowned to himself. This entire escapade was getting complicated. He would just have to wait until there was a name that no one responded to and assume that it was him.

Link was abruptly pulled out of his thoughts as all the first years began moving towards the door Hagrid had gone through a few minutes ago. The professor forced them into line formation at the door then led them into a huge room filled with all of the other students and professors. Most of them looked over briefly to satisfy curiosity then returned to their conversations. Apparently this was so routine that most students weren't really interested in the sorting anymore. That was good. It meant that people were less likely to notice if Link slipped up and responded to the wrong name.

"We will now begin the sorting." The professor announced as she picked up a hat and unrolled a long scroll.

"Aybara, Perrin."

A stocky boy shyly walked up to the professor and sat on the stool and had the hat plopped on his head. Seconds later the hat called out "HUFFLEPUFF"

Link nodded his head in satisfaction as the information his boat-buddies had given him proved to be accurate and settled down to wait for a promising name. A few minutes later he was rewarded for his patience.

"Harper, Andrew."

Link's ears perked up when he caught the name 'Andrew'. Maybe that was him? He glanced up and down the line of scared first years. Nobody moved. So it is him. Now he just needed to wait for-

Jason gently nudged his side.

"Is that you?" Link looked at him and slowly blinked as if coming out of a stupor.

"Huh?"

"Is your last na-"

"Harper, Andrew." The professor repeated, her voice edged with steel.

"Oh!" Link started as if in surprise and quickly jogged up to the professor, grinning sheepishly. "Sorry 'bout that I was-"

"We do not want to hear about your daydream, boy. Just sit down so we can continue with the sorting."

"Yes, Ma'am." Link said meekly as he obediently sat on the stool. He could feel disapproval practically radiating from the woman. Jeez. He only held up the sorting for a few minutes, if that. No need to get _that_ upset.

The blond glanced up at the woman and saw her frowning at his bandanna. Oh. Why was everybody making such a fuss about that? Nobody commented on it when he looked older! Especially when he was in his teenage form. Maybe it was a wizarding thing. Maybe wizards have never seen bandannas before. Perhaps they all wore old, beat up pointy hats, like the one in the professor's hands.

Link eyed the hat curiously. That thing could somehow think and talk. Maybe it a person who had transformed into a hat using something like the First Gen Ring? And then it was using some sort of other magic to read the first years emotions so it could sort them into houses. That makes sense. Their emotional reactions to a nerve-wracking situation would be an excellent way to divide up the students according to their most prominent 'qualities'. Too bad he didn't really pay any attention to the opening song. That would probably have helped him figure out which house he was to be placed in.

The professor suddenly leaned forward and unceremoniously dropped the hat on the blond's head. He blinked and shook his head a bit as it dropped over his eyes and completely cut off his vision. Link sincerely hoped that he wasn't going to be expected to ditch his bandanna for a ridiculous hat like this. Sure, it would cover up his ears but he also wouldn't be able to see and, judging from the way the brim dug into his chin, he wasn't going to be able to eat either. He'd have to check Andrew's supply list later…preferably after he figured out what he was going to do with the boy.

"Interesting…" A soft voice murmured in his ear. Link unconsciously tensed up. Something was wrong. A liquid-cool presence brushed up against is mind, paused for a second and then engulfed him.

Shit! It was in his mind! Link's fingers tightly gripped the edge of the stool as a flare of panic caused his heart rate to speed up. The thing definitely was not just doing a precursory check on his emotions; it was digging through his memories! Now it would know everything! It would see the ocarina, the goddesses, the tri-force…! Everything! Just like _him_.

------------

"_As I'm sure you know by now, I want the treasure that you are guarding, sir. I would very much appreciate it if we could both come to an-"_

"_No."_

"_Very well. I'll just have to get the information a different way."_

_A suspicious silence_

"_Heh. You should know by now that your artifact is not the first that I have hunted for."_

_A rainbow glow fills the room._

_Frigid hands seem to reach out of the light and grasp Link's mind._

"_Now, let's see where exactly you hid that marvelous treasure…"_

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Link scrambled to find a way to get it out of his head. Maybe simply throwing the hat away will break the connection! It's worth a sh-!

"Don't worry," The hat's voice whispered. "I am only looking to see which house you would be best suited for. I will tell none of what I find here, not even the Headmaster. I am not like that man, Locke, which you were comparing me to. In fact," The hat's voice took on an amused tone. "I was once a guardian of an important treasure as well. I know the importance of secrecy."

Link felt his muscles begin to relax as the hat explained its purpose in digging around in his mind and all remaining tension drained from his body when it said it would not tell anyone what it found in there. Link knew that he should be more suspicious of the hat, but couldn't bring himself to not trust it. Besides, it_ is_ a hat. What is it going to do, make him trip off the dais? This didn't change the fact that he was still slightly shaken by the sudden invasion of his mind, though.

The hat chuckled. Link guessed it saw the thought about tripping too. "Now on with business. I believe that you should be put in Gryffindor, do you agree?"

"Uh…sure." Link could sense the amusement rolling off the hat.

"That is the house where the brave and the bold dwell. I thought that since you were once the bearer of the Tri-force of Courage that you would fit in just fine with them."

Link shrugged. "Okay."

The hat laughed again and called out "GRYFFINDOR!"

As Link pulled that hat off and the liquid presence withdrew from his mind he faintly heard the hat whisper 'good luck'. The blond smiled and glanced around the room. Which was the Gryffindor table? It probably wasn't the green one because they were all glaring at him…unless Gryffindor wasn't a very friendly bunch. That left red, yellow and blue.

Apparently he was taking too long to decide because the professor took the hat from him and pushed him in the direction of the red table.

"Contrary to your belief, Mr. Harper, we do not have all night."

"Yes, Ma'am." Link grinned as he hopped down and walked over to his house table. Two vaguely familiar red-heads stood from their seats and waved frantically at him.

"Hey! Harper! Over here!" Link couldn't help but grin at the vaguely horrified looks on some of his new housemate's faces. Apparently these two asking him to join them was a terrifying prospect for some. Most notably of which was another red-head sitting as far away from the duo as possible. Link shook his head in bemusement. Why were there so many kids with red hair? He seemed to run into them everywhere.

Link could almost literally feel the heat from professor's glare warming his back. His grin widened as he casually walked over to the boys who were now giving each other high-fives and plopped down in front of them.

"Hi, my name is Link."

The red-heads glanced at each other and upped the intensity of their grins. "I told you this one was good!"

"Good?"

The twins nodded sagely. "It's not often that a student comes along that can tick-off McGonagal on their first day, let alone before the welcoming feast even starts! We needed to save you before they," here the one on the left indicated the older red-head Link had spotted before and a few of the students sitting near him, "Corrupted you."

"That would be a tragedy, Gred"

"Indeed it would, Forge."

"Todd, Jason." Link perked up as the professor said this name. Jason wasn't all that common of a name. As much as Link didn't like to admit it, he wanted the dark-haired boy to be in his house. Maybe he was feeling a little clingy to the first person that he had met in this 'wizarding world' too.

"Hey," one of the boys recaptured Link's attention, "I'm George and this-"

"-Is his far more intelligent and handsome brother, Fred." Fred reached out, grabbed Link's hand and began shaking it rather enthusiastically. "It's a pleasure to meet someone as talented as you."

Link found it amusing that Fred continued shaking his hand far longer then considered polite in most circles. George abruptly shoved his brother into the grinning boy sitting next to him, forcibly breaking the contact between Link and Fred. "Hey! Quit hogging him!" He then scooted over to take up as much of the vacated space as possible while snatching up Link's hand so he could shake it too. "Always a pleasure to meet a kindred spirit."

Fred pulled himself off the other boy and pushed George back into his own seat. "Wanna be our lackey?" He asked Link with a grin.

Link grinned back. "Only lackey?"

"Who's a lackey?" Link, Fred and George looked up at the person who interrupted their conversation.

"Jason! You made it!" The dark-haired boy blushed at the attention and quickly sat down next to Link. "Well, it was this or Hufflepuff."

"Hufflepuff? You make the right choice, mate! Everybody in Hufflepuff is boring." George said. Fred nodded in agreement.

"The only thing worse then being in Hufflepuff is being in Slytherin. They're a bunch of slimy gits."

"Here, here!"

"Now about being our lackey-"

"Can I be a minion?" Link smirked "I've always wanted to be a minion."

The twins put on a show of thinking about it, scratching their heads and rubbing their chins. "We've never had minions before. Only lackeys, like Lee here." The boy that Fred knocked over rolled his eyes.

"We have to pay minions, don't we?"

"Nah, I think that their payment is in blood and human flesh. Maybe the tears of the conquered too..."

"Wicked! When can you start? We're a little short on human flesh right now, but I think I know of a few people we can sacrifice" Both boys grinned down the table to the oblivious red-haired boy they had indicated before.

"You forgot the virgins." Link put in with a smile.

"To eat, right? I heard that they are better tasting then-"

"Um…I think that the Headmaster is trying to speak" Jason quietly interrupted.

The boys glanced up and suddenly noticed that the hall was silent except for them, all of the students and staff was staring at them and the Headmaster (Double Door? What parent would name their poor kid that?) was sparkling at them.

"If you are done negotiating your contract with Mister Harper, Misters Weasley, I would like to officially begin our feast," Double Door smiled. "I'm so hungry that I could do with a virgin or two myself."

Fred leaned forwards and cupped his hand around his mouth, "That sounds completely wrong coming from the professor." The other boys nodded feverently.

The rest of the feast went smoothly, if you discounted the expected shocked reactions of the first years when the food appeared, until Link realized that this was his best chance of dealing with the real Andrew Harper without interference. Everybody would be here at the feast and probably wouldn't be heading up to the dorms for at least another hour. Now he just needed to find a way up there… Faking sick!

Link immediately gasped and leaned forward, clutching his stomach and generally faked an illness. He took a shaky breath and, after a few seconds of surprised and worried silence from his new friends, let out a small whimper of pain and discomfort. Link knew that sound too well for it to be anything but convincing.

"Link?" Jason hesitantly reached out and touched Link's shoulder. "Are you…okay?"

"I dunno" Link mumbled while curling in on himself. "I think the train ride and then the feast didn't agree with me."

"We should take him to Madam Pomfrey." One of the twins said.

Link abruptly shook his head. "No. I don't want to ruin the feast for anybody. I'll just go lie down somewhere. I'll be fine in a few hours." Link could almost feel the four boys exchanging worried looks.

"Alright, mate. We'll get you up to the Gryffindor Tower. Hey, Lee, go ask Percy for the password."

"Right." Link heard him get up and hurry off in the direction of Fred and George's offered sacrifice. An awkward silence descended, broken only by the rustling of robes as someone shifted uncomfortably and the dull background chatter of the other students. After what seemed like a small forever, quick footsteps hurried back and stopped somewhere near the twins.

"It's 'mugwumps'."

"Got it. Jason, you got him?" An arm slipped under Link's armpits and helped to lift him out of his seat.

"Yeah."

Link frowned a bit at the breathless reply. Apparently Jason didn't 'have him'…at least not very well. Link made sure to stumble and pull somewhat away from the other boy, taking on as much of his own weight as he could while still appearing to be sick. It wouldn't help any of them if Jason collapsed half away to the dorms. As the duo made their way out of the Great Hall whispers began starting up. Link's pointed ears twitched slightly under his bandanna as he heard a particularly loud comment that someone called 'Professor Snape' must have poisoned him for delaying the feast. This entire night would be a huge setback in his 'blend in with the students' plan but he probably wouldn't get a better chance to 'fix' his problem with Andrew anytime in the near future.

"What kind of minion can't hold his drink? Keep this up, mate, and you'll be demoted to lackey!"

Link grinned as the twins loudly chatted about 'their minion' getting drunk off pumpkin juice and confining him to drinking just blood. They also commented that Hogwart's human flesh was of inferior quality and that was obviously what caused Link to get 'indigestion'.

The second the small group was out of the Great Hall one of the twins (George, was it?) moved to support Link's other side while his brother took over for Jason ("You don't look like you're in too great a shape yourself, mate"). Then five boys began the trek to the Gryffindor dorms.

Surprisingly, the trip didn't take very long. The twins apparently knew every secret passage and shortcut in the castle, cutting their trip from a five minute walk down to two minutes. Link looked up when they came to a halt in front of yet another painting, this one of a fat lady, and blinked in surprise when the George began talking to it instead of having Lee push it aside like he had done with the other two secret-passage paintings.

"Good evening, my fair lady," He tipping an invisible cap seeing as he couldn't bow while supporting Link. " We would very much like access to the quarters which you so valiantly guard."

The lady in the painting smiled –smiled!- and responded with a kind, "Of course, dear. What is the password?"

"Mugwumps."

The lady nodded and smiled again before her painting swung open like a doorway granting them access to the cozy tower beyond. Link was so surprised by the talking and moving painting that Fred and George actually had to haul him into what was apparently the Gryffindor common room before he began helping them move his weight again.

The moving painting thing reminded him of Phantom Ganon…except that the lady was apparently not some kind of ghost-thing created by an evil king to contain the Forest Sage. It was just a talking, moving painting. It actually made sense to have something like that be the guard instead of normal magical wards and living guards. It was the best of both worlds. They wouldn't be as easy to fool or bypass as wards and they had none of the normal short comings of living guards, such as sleeping on the job, taking bribes and whining about being stuck with guard duty.

"Link,"

Link looked up at Lee in surprise. "Huh?"

"Stairs."

"Oh."

The five-some carefully maneuvered themselves up the stairs, Fred and George still at Link's sides, Lee out in the lead and Jason bringing up the rear. After much stumbling and cursing, the group eventually made it into the first year dorms and after even _more_ stumbling and cursing in the dimly lit room, they found Link's, or rather Andrew's, bed.

After Link was settled on the bed, curled up against the headboard, there was an awkward silence. The four boys shifted their feet and glanced around the room for several minutes until it became obvious to Link that they weren't going to leave unless he told them to.

"You guys should go back to the feast," Link rolled his eyes when he caught sight of their hesitance to leave him. "Really. I'll be fine after some rest."

Link pulled some of the covers off the bed and around his small form as if to make his point even more clear. After exchanging some looks the three older boys nodded in unison.

"Alright, Link. We'll see you tomorrow and show you around." Fred said.

"After all," His twin added. "It wouldn't do to have our minion be unable to carry out our dastardly plots because he doesn't know this way around the castle."

Lee just rolled his eyes, waved, and dragged the twins out before they got distracted and forgot they were supposed to be leaving.

Jason watched them leave and slowly began to relax as the sounds of the twin's loud protests over their 'rough' treatment faded down the stairs. A moment later he turned towards Link.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine by tomorrow. You should go back to the feast too. I'm going to go sleep and I'm sure that won't be very interesting for you."

"If you're sure…" Jason trailed of hesitantly as he took a small half step towards the door. It was obvious to Link that he was torn between staying with his 'friend' (could they even be called that at this point?) and going back to the feast.

"Positive," Link faked a yawn and a wince then pulled the covers closer.

"I won't be able to sleep with you talking to me." He not-so-subtly hinted.

"Right. I'll being you back some food."

Link decided not to mention that he probably really would be asleep by the time Jason got back and thus be unable to eat the food. He smiled and once again shifted his blankets.

Jason slowly made his way to the door then looked back for a moment before out the door and out of sight. Link lay quietly until even his sharp ears couldn't pick out the sounds of Jason's feet. Instead of silence though, Link began hearing soft rustling sounds coming from the foot of his bed. Or more specifically, the backpack that was casually lying upon Andrew's trunk at the foot of his bed.

Link quickly scrambled out from under his pile of blankets, nearly falling off the bed twice while doing so, and crawled across the bed. The blond hesitated for a second before gently pulling the slightly twitching bag onto the bed and slowly unzipping the compartment he had stowed Andrew in.

"Mehh?"

Link peered into the bag and came face-to–face with a pair of green, slitted eyes.

"What the heck?!"

Apparently Andrew wasn't very happy.

------------

_That was _way_ longer then expected, both the chapter length and the time it took me to post it (It was mostly done being written in November). I suppose it's because I hoped to finish dealing with Andrew this chapter. As you can see, that didn't happen._

_As of right now I have a rough sketch of what will happen in the second task and a bit of what will happen in the first… wait… I did tell you guys that this is taking place during the fourth book, right? Oh well. You certainly know now._

_And yes, having Link duck out before the announcement of the Tri-Wizard Tournament and Moody's introduction was on purpose. The chapter would never have ended if I had included that._

_As always, constructive criticism is welcomed._


	4. Who killed to common sense?

**Disclaimer:**_I do not own Zelda or Harry Potter. If you at any point along the line you thought that I did, I would like to speak with you about the sale of one of my islands named 'Taiwan'. I can cut you a very reasonable deal._

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Title: Who Wants to Live Forever?

Chapter: 4

------------

**Last Time:**

_Link peered into the bag and came face-to–face with a pair of green, slitted eyes._

"_What the heck?!"_

_Apparently Andrew wasn't very happy._

------------

Link sighed as he reached into his bag and pulled out a panicking cat.

"What the heck is going on?! Why was I in a bag? Why am I a _cat_?! Did those crazy wizard people do it? I _knew_ this was a conspiracy!!"

Link fought back the urge to tell Andrew to calm down seeing as it would only aggravate the situation and turn the boy's ire on him. Instead, he simply waited until the cat's rant about conspiracies, lawyers and illegal slave rings had run its course before drawing attention to himself.

"It wasn't the wizards."

Andrew jumped about a foot in the air before falling off the bed and promptly darting across the room to hide under another bed. After a few minutes of silence (Link refused to talk to someone he couldn't see) a small brown head poked cautiously out from under the overhanging blankets.

"You…you're that kid from the train. You turned me into a cat? Why? Was it some kind of messed up wizarding test?!"

Link could tell the only reason Andrew wasn't screaming was because his curiosity was overwhelming his anger and fear.

"No. I turned you into a cat because I needed to take your place as a student." Link quickly went over the details of what happened in his mind and decided to go with it. After all, telling the kid a bit of the truth should satisfy him as well as keep him around the school to serve as a decoy if Link ever needed to make an escape.

"You see, I didn't mean to get on the train to Hogwarts. I just wanted to get out of London."

"Why?"

"I was getting there," Link rolled his eyes as Andrew crawled out from under the bed and began slowly padding back over to him. Man, this kid was trusting. If it was him in this situation he would have attacked himself by now, or at least attempted to escape.

"I'm guarding some ancient artifacts. Some people are hunting for these same artifacts. Needless to say, they found me and I needed to leave the city as soon as possible. The Hogwarts train was the only one leaving at the time so I got on."

"Ancient artifacts?" Link was amazed at how fast Andrew managed to make it back up on the bed and stuff his furry face into Link's bag, "Whoa…"

"You're the last member of an ancient powerful clan charged with guarding these sacred objects by a god, right!?" Andrew demanded as he pulled out of the bag in order to fix his literally glowing eyes on Link.

"Um…not re-"

"And the ones chasing you are evil demons bent on the extermination of the human race, right?!"

"…What?"

"And your parents died protecting you from some really powerful demon and now you have vowed never to let that happen to anyone else and travel around the world exterminating demons and protecting people, right?!"

"…That's some imagination you got there…"

"So am I right?!"

"…_Some_ of it was right, but…where did you get the rest of it?"

"Here and there," Andrew tried to wave his paw in a dismissive manner only to recall seconds later that cats aren't built like humans when he smacked himself in the face. Andrew tried to discretely rub at his sore nose (and failed for the same reasons as before) as he continued excitedly, "Which parts were right?"

"I was _charged_ with guarding _one_ of these objects-"

"And you liberated the rest from the demons!"

"…No. The rest just belong to m-"

"So you inherited them from your demon hunting parents?!"

Link twitched, completely unsure how to handle this situation. Should he just let the kid assume whatever he wanted or should he stick with the story he was originally going to feed the kid?

"I never knew my parents so how could I-"

"They were killed by demons!"

Link sighed in defeat. Why was this kid obsessed with demons anyway? "Yes. They were killed by demons."

"All right!" Andrew cheered before abruptly realizing what he was cheering for. "I mean- …uh…sorry? That was a terrible thing for them to do. …Are you going to hunt them down and exorcize them?"

Link almost rolled his eyes at the kid's hopeful tone. "Yeah, right. I doubt they are even alive anymore." It was true. The moblins that supposedly killed his parents would have been turned to dust a _long_ time ago even if they somehow managed to survive the purge that took place after the Binding Wars in Hyrule.

"Rival hunters killed them?"

"No. Ridiculous age."

"Ridic- ! You're an elf!"

Link choked on air. "What? Why on Earth would you jump to that conclusion? Shouldn't you assume that the demons were really old?"

"Please," Andrew scoffed. "As if old-man demons could kill legendary demon hunters like your parents."

"…Now you're blatantly ly-"

"That's why you wear that bandana, right? Awesome! How old are you? You look kinda young…around my age… then again, according to Lord of the Rings elves are immortal so you could be older then…then…" Andrew was visibly searching for a name of someone who he thought was as older then dirt. "…then Jesus!"

"…"

"Nevermind. I'm going to sleep." Link shoved Andrew off his bed and hauled the covers up over his head. Honestly. That kid watched too much TV. Hopefully he would know that talking cats were weird even to people with magic and would keep his mouth shut when everybody came back. Link didn't want to deal with the kid anymore tonight and that included fixing his mistakes.

"Hey! Is this slingshot the legendary-"

Link threw the covers off reached over and extracted Andrew from his bag before tossing him off the bed again and dragging the bag back under the covers with him. He had a feeling his plan to keep the kid around Hogwarts and quiet about the cat thing was going to work a bit too well.

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_A powerful westerly wind was whipping the fires consuming every object in miles into a conflagration, quickly and efficiently burning a once grand city into ash. A man slowly and carefully picked his way through the rubble and bodies strewn through the streets until he reached the city's main square. There he paused and cast about for something, causing the orange flames to paint his gently swaying crimson cap in an odd mix of deep blacks and a paler red. _

_There. _

_Before the fountain the small figure of a woman was sprawled brokenly across pieces of shattered masonry and illuminated by the raging fires. _

_The man slowly walked over to her, too exhausted to run and knowing that the woman would force herself to remain either alive or conscious long enough to see him. She always was stubborn like that._

_The man suppressed a reflexive wince when he finally rounded the once-ornate fountain in the center of the square and saw the extent of the woman's wounds. He was right. Only her will to see him again was keeping her in this world. Kneeling beside her he gently took her hand and stirred her from her life-prolonging meditation._

_The woman's blue eyes cracked open and she smiled a sad little smile when she saw him._

"_You're older…"_

"_It has been a long time since I've been home."_

"_Yes, it has."_

_Pleasantries now over the woman slowly and painfully dipped her free hand, broken fingers and all, into the bloody sash around her waist and withdrew a small object of the purest blue._

"_It is your duty." She whispered, forcing her eyes to remain open and her vocal cords to work._

"_Yes. It is." He reached out a hand, torn glove revealing blistered skin, and gently took the object from her. Her arm dropped, boneless, to her side._

_They both stared into each others eyes as the city continued to burn, not saying another word. What was there to say? Both knew their duties. The man continued to hold the woman's hand until all life fled from her eyes. It was all he could do for her._

_Minutes later the man slowly released her limp hand and, after a heartbeat, reached up and closed her eyes before slowly standing and beginning to pick his careful way towards the city's main gates. The inferno that was once Hyrule's capital would be a fitting funeral pyre for its queen._

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Link slowly blinked his eyes open; somewhat startled to realize that it was still dark when his internal clock was insisting that it was dawn. He quickly pushed the covers off and slipped out of bed.

Ah, that was why. The other boys had drawn the thick, red curtains over the windows. Link was amused to note that apparently that wasn't enough protection from the evil sun's rays and that they had all drawn the drapes around their beds closed too. How on earth did they expect to wake up without either the sun or an alarm clock? Maybe their internal clocks would wake them up too, though Link doubted it.

After a quick scan of the room, Link moved to the foot of his bead and dug through Andrew's trunk. Hmm. Apparently they _did _expect him to wear that ridiculous pointy hat. And the robes were a familiar site, though an uncomfortable one. Only sages and members of the high courts and councils ever wore them.

Link hesitated, long standing traditions of equally long dead cultures preventing him from immediately grabbing the robe, before he shrugged his shoulders and picked one up. Technically he could be considered a sage and he was certainly old enough to be a member of any council in existence and some that weren't.

Shrugging the slightly- too-short robe on, Link reached over and hefted his backpack before heading off to look for Andrew. He wasn't in the room and they hadn't finished their little talk last night. Link needed to be sure that the boy-turned-cat would stay quiet and try to act like the animal he looked like. The last thing Link needed was some kid attending a _magic_ school blowing his cover. In a non-magic community the talking cat would probably be killed by the superstitious or ignorant populace before anything really incriminating came out. In a magical community, however… while talking cats _were_ unusual, the wizards probably knew of some way, be it a spell or artifact, to shape shift. They would actually listen to Andrew's babbling and he would be discovered. Link did _not_ need another group of power-hungry sociopaths chasing him down. If all he had to do was manipulate a little boy to prevent it, then he would do so with a smile on his face.

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_This is _not_ where I wanted to end this chapter. Not even close. But, I figured I ought to give those of you still reading this something, even if it is an incomplete fragment. _

_Man, I'm bad at this 'updating' stuff. Though, part of it is the fact that I cringe whenever I see the fourth Harry Potter book. Is it wrong of me to not want to read it again? I think I need to appoint a bulldog to bug me to work on this…or obtain a partner. Any volunteers?_


End file.
